Freud's Theory of the Mind
According to Freud, the mind is comprised of three parts; the ego, the id and the superego. The ego is found in the conscious part of the mind. It has a rational function and it is the part of the mind where decisions are made. The decisions however are influenced by the unconscious mind. The id and the superego are found in the part of the uncouscious mind. The id is the source of our biological drives and instincts. The main interest of the id is to promote and sustain life. The id seeks pleasure and avoids pain. It does so unconsciously and therefore may sometimes behave in socially unacceptable ways. The superego is the part of the mind that tells us what we should do. It is shaped by our culture, value system and of course our parents. Parents play an important role in shaping the superego as they punish negative behaviour and reinforce positive behaviour. Psychoanalysis Freud used a techniqued called psychoanalysis '''to help his patents tap into their unconscious minds. Psychoanalysis included '''hypnosis which prompted people to remember and understand their childhood experiences. Freud believed that emotional problems and conflicts stem from early childhood experiences. Therefore, gaining access to those memories, could help patients heal. Success using hypnosis was limited however and therefore Freud abandoned this method. Freud also used a technique call free association. In free association, a patient would be given a word and then respond with the first thought that came to mind. Freud also asked his patents to recall their dreams so that they could be analyzed and interpreted. The purpose of psychonalysis was to uncover repressed feelings and thoughts that were stored in the id and controlled by the superego. Acknowledging and revealing these hidden urges were the key to alleviating symptoms. Watch the video below to learn more about psychoanalysis. Freud also theorized that people deal with their problems and conflicts hidden in the unconscious mind by using defence mechanisms. A 'defence mechanism '''is an unconscious mental process used to protect the ego against anxiety, shame or other unacceptable feelings or thoughts. This allows an individual to burry a problem so that the conscious mind is not aware of it. Behaviour however would still be impacted by the thoughts. An example would be reacting to a situation with immature behaviour, rationalizing a problem by blaming it on an unrelated cause or going into denial rather than accepting the truth about a situaion. Today, many psychologists and counsellors use the notion of defense mechanisms to help people deal with their intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. Watch the video below to see an example. Other Psychoanalylists Although Freud's theories gained acceptance and popularity in the early and mid twentieth century, a major criticism of his concepts was that there was too much emphasis on agrressive and sexual urges. In general, people liked to believe that they were rational beings with more control over their behaviours, thoughts and minds. Three of Freud's most well-known colleagues, '''Carl Jung '(1875-1961), 'Alfred Adler '(1870-1937) and 'Karen Horney '(1885-1952), accepted some aspects of Freud's theories while rejecting others. Psychoanalysis continued to evolve and develop with the contributions of these three social scientists.